Residents of the small Turkish town of Selcuk, located in the western province of Izmir, will be honored to host the visit of Pope Francis on Nov. 28, the town’s mayor said.
Pope Francis visit to Turkey, scheduled for Nov. 28, and his planned visit to the House of the Virgin Mary has been enthusiastically greeted by the town’s mayor and its residents.
The House of the Virgin Mary in Selcuk has been visited by three previous popes – Pope Paul VI in 1967, Pope John Paul II in 1976 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.“Pope Francis’ visit to Selcuk and its Christian cultural heritage is very important,” the Mayor of Selcuk Zeynel Bakıcı told the Anadolu Agency.
The visit will help increase tourism for the town, Bakıcı said.
Mayor Bakıcı noted that the town had greatly benefitted from Pope Benedict’s visit in 2006, after which the annual average number of tourists rose to 2.5 million.
Around 600,000 to 700,000 of the 2.5 million tourists come to visit the House of Virgin Mary, while around 400,000 came to visit the Church of Saint John, also located in Selcuk, on average every year.
The President of the American Society of Ephesus, Bill Quatman, will participate in the reception of Pope Francis, Bakıcı said.
He said the residents of Selcuk would be honored to host the Pope.
Source Hurrıyet
